A Tropical Air Mass Means Higher Rain Chances

HIGHER RAIN CHANCES: Showers and storms will be more numerous today, and the weather will be pretty wet at times across the state tomorrow and Thursday due to Tropical Storm Nicholas to our west. Deep tropical moisture will be be pulled into Alabama these days, so look for periods of rain with some embedded thunderstorms both days with temperatures in the upper 70s and lower 80s because of clouds and rain.

NICHOLAS: Nicholas made landfall as a hurricane this morning, and it slowly beginning to weaken. The center of Tropical Storm Nicholas was located near latitude 29.3 North, longitude 95.6 West. Nicholas is moving toward the north-northeast near 9 mph. The storm should move more slowly to the northeast later today and then eastward by Wednesday over Louisiana. Little motion is anticipated on Thursday.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 70 mph with higher gusts. Nicholas should weaken further today and is forecast to become a tropical depression by Wednesday. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles from the center. A NOAA station at Galveston Bay, Texas recently reported a 1-minute sustained wind of 54 mph gusting to 68 mph .

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: The moist airmass will remain in place meaning humidity levels will remain fairly high over the weekend, so we expect a mix of sun and clouds these three days with scattered showers and storms on a daily basis, mainly during the afternoon and evening hours. The chance of any one spot getting wet each day is 45-55 percent, and highs will be in the mid 80s.

ELSEWHERE IN THE TROPICS: We are likely to have both Odette and Peter soon.

1. A tropical wave located just west of the African coast is producing a large area of showers and thunderstorms that are showing signs of organization. Environmental conditions are forecast to be conducive for gradual development of this disturbance over the next several days, and a tropical depression
is likely to form by the weekend while the system moves westward at about 15 mph across the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean. Formation chance through 5 days…high…80 percent.

2. An area of low pressure is expected to form by midweek a couple of hundred miles north of the southeastern or central Bahamas as a tropical wave interacts with an upper-level trough. Some gradual development of this system is forecast thereafter, and a tropical depression could form later this week while the system moves north-northwestward or northward across the western Atlantic. Formation chance through 5 days…medium…60 percent.

Have an amazing Tuesday!!!
Ryan